Genomes of Argia emma (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) and Epeorus albertae (Ephemeroptera: Heptageniidae) as novel resources for evolution, ecology, and conservation research 00

Abstract

Paleopteran insects (Odonata and Ephemeroptera) occupy a crucial position in insect evolution and are ecologically significant indicators of freshwater ecosystem health. Recent improvement in the number of publicly available genomes and transcriptomes have advanced understanding of genome size evolution, morphological innovation, and ecological responses in these orders. Here we present genome assemblies for the damselfly Argia emma (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae) and the mayfly Epeorus albertae (Ephemeroptera: Heptageniidae), two ecologically and culturally significant species from the Salmon River, Idaho, USA. Both species play essential roles in regional aquatic food webs, including supporting salmon populations central to Nez Perce cultural lifeways. These genomes provide valuable comparative resources for approximating genetic diversity and reconstructing historical demographic change. Both genomes represent high-quality assemblies as measured by contiguity and completeness. Demographic models built from both assemblies show how the populations of these two species have generally trended in similar directions through time, consistent with the hypothesis that these species respond similarly to environmental change and may be useful complementary bioindicators. The genome assembly of A. emma further suggests that similar genome sizes in the family Coenagrionidae are not correlated with similar profiles of repetitive elements. These genomes provide a timely baseline for future study of how proposed land-use change in the Salmon River watershed may affect aquatic insects, are an important resource for navigating freshwater biodiversity conservation efforts in the American West, and, by filling taxonomic gaps, will be important tools for further study into the evolution of Paleoptera.

Keywords. Aquatic insects, conservation genomics, dragonfly, historical demography, lotic ecosystems, mayfly

Issue section: Original Article